By Cassidy Cannon
For many students, studying abroad comes with the sadness of missing family and friends or the stress of finding that one dish whose itch you just can’t scratch.
Lucky for me, the homesickness hasn’t quite sunk in yet. Maybe it has something to do with Italian food being a culmination of all my favorite flavors.
Or maybe my happiness comes from a weekly dose of three things; football, nachos, and friendly faces.
It all started early January when my parents, who were dead set on using my trip as an excuse to visit Rome, and I took to the streets in search of a bar that would consider putting on American football. The Seahawks were playing the Cardinals that night, and let’s just say we were nervous.
Aside from the seemingly imminent defeat that would come from playing the best team in the NFC West, we also had to keep in mind the possibility of not being able to see it all happen.
I had to stop and ask: What kind of place would let a group of Americans sit and monopolize a TV for three hours on a Sunday?
The answer to that question came as we rounded the corner onto Via del Corso. There, in bright yellow letters, read “Scholars Lounge Irish Pub.” Inside we were greeted with the NFL theme song and the opening drive kickoff displayed on two giant projector screens.
Standing in front of my happy place: Scholars Lounge Irish Pub
Much to our surprise, the Hawks pulled off a landslide win that night. But almost more exciting than winning 36-6 was the experience of watching our team from an Irish bar stool halfway around the world.
I was addicted. Sunday evenings were now reserved for Scholars.
By my third visit, I was working on a first name basis with Colin Burrell and John Gainer, two of Scholars’ most frequent bartenders.
Colin, who was happy to talk about why an American like me would feel so at home here, was quick to be cynical about the authenticity of Roman Irish pubs.
“This is not an Irish pub,” he told me under his breath as he glanced to his left to make sure his coworkers were not looking. “A place like this is for the Americans. And it’s a goldmine.”
He went on to admit he doesn’t speak any Italian. “Any?” I asked. “Well a little,” he shrugged. “It’s very pigeon toed”
At this point, John, who was busy mixing up a bright red strawberry daiquiri for a woman three stools down, chimed in.
“Can you imagine how hard it is for three hicks from Dublin to take orders from a table full of Italians who don’t speak any English?”
To be honest, it hadn’t occurred to me that I was sitting in a sea of English speakers. Perhaps it was the illusion of an Irish pub that distracted me from the abnormality of what I had assumed was an average Roman scene. Sure, I was relieved to order from a menu I could actually read from a waiter who didn’t want to poison my meal for butchering ‘bruschetta’ one too many times.
Then it clicked.
I was here because Scholars provided what I desperately craved: a sense of belonging. A break from the painful ignorance foreigners like me exuded in the Italian language and culture.
According to Sheryl Brandalik, Program Administrator of UW’s Rome Center, up to 400 UW students study abroad in Rome every year. And as much as I’d like to believe my experience here is special and unique, I know I can’t be the only one who has fallen victim to the American-friendly atmosphere these pubs seem to radiate.
After last week’s loss to the Carolina Panthers (RIP Seahawks), I found my perspective a hopeful one. Since I can no longer use football (besides the Super Bowl) as an excuse, I may as well take advantage of what the Irish pub scene has to offer.
Feel free to join me as I make my way through the top ten rated pubs, courtesy of Wanted in Rome.
Next stop, Abbey’s Pub.
imsofondueofyou 